• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
the red tape conundrum

Where Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump Stand on Regulation

By
Tory Newmyer
Tory Newmyer
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Tory Newmyer
Tory Newmyer
Down Arrow Button Icon
October 20, 2016, 6:30 AM ET
Illustration by Jason Schneider

For the most part, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have ­directly diverging views of regulation. Clinton favors a heavier hand to bring Wall Street and other industries to heel, while easing rules for small businesses. Trump by contrast has called federal rules a “stealth tax” and wants to roll them back across the board. But here are three places each of the candidates would seek to trim red tape if elected.

Hillary Clinton

1. Streamline the licensing process to make it cheaper and faster, and standardize licensing rules across states to make it easier for small-business owners to operate in different states.

2. Ease the way for credit unions and small banks to lend to small businesses, in part by incentivizing state and local governments to cut red tape—and making the feds more responsive to questions about regulations.

3. Simplify the eligibility requirements for small businesses seeking a tax credit through the Affordable Care Act to offer coverage to employees.

For more on business regulations, watch this Fortune video:

Donald Trump

1. Repeal both the Affordable Care Act and the Dodd-Frank package of regulations approved as a response to the financial crisis.

2. Dramatically scale back rules on the energy industry to open federal lands and offshore areas to oil and gas exploration, issue new coal-mining leases on federal land, remove rules protecting waterways and wetlands from industry, and scotch the Obama administration’s plan to curb greenhouse-gas emissions from power plants.

3. Delay all new regulations in order to conduct a review of those already on the books.

A version of this article appears in the November 1, 2016 issue of Fortune as part of our “Red Tape” feature.

About the Author
By Tory Newmyer
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Economy
Trump may have shot himself in the foot at the Fed, as Powell could stay on while Miran resigns from White House post
By Eleanor PringleFebruary 4, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Investing
Tech stocks go into free fall as it dawns on traders that AI has the ability to cut revenues across the board
By Jim EdwardsFebruary 4, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Politics
Peter Thiel warns the Antichrist and apocalypse are linked to the ‘end of modernity’ currently happening—and cites Greta Thunberg as a driving example
By Nick LichtenbergFebruary 4, 2026
20 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Success
After decades in the music industry, Pharrell Williams admits he never stops working: ‘If you do what you love everyday, you’ll get paid for free'
By Emma BurleighFebruary 3, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
In 2026, many employers are ditching merit-based pay bumps in favor of ‘peanut butter raises’
By Emma BurleighFebruary 2, 2026
3 days ago
placeholder alt text
North America
Gates Foundation doubles down on foreign aid as U.S. government largely withdraws
By Thalia Beaty and The Associated PressFebruary 3, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.


Latest in

lewis, lee
InvestingMarkets
Michael Lewis and Tom Lee hold court on the $1 trillion software-stock carnage: ‘I think fear is not a bad thing to be long right now’
By Nick LichtenbergFebruary 5, 2026
9 minutes ago
NewslettersMPW Daily
Midi just hit a $1 billion valuation with plans to become the biggest consumer brand in women’s health
By Emma HinchliffeFebruary 5, 2026
18 minutes ago
Sam Altman OpenAI CEO, standing with his arms folded.
AIOpenAI
ChatGPT’s market share is slipping as Google and rivals close the gap, app tracker data shows
By Beatrice NolanFebruary 5, 2026
31 minutes ago
trump
EconomyTaxes
Trump is giving the U.S. economy a $65 billion tax-refund shot in the arm, mostly for higher-income people, BofA says
By Nick LichtenbergFebruary 5, 2026
1 hour ago
grace
CommentaryRobotics
I’m a 25-year-old founder who loves robots but too many humanoids are militant and creepy-looking. Things need to change—just look at Elon Musk
By Grace BrownFebruary 5, 2026
2 hours ago
Personal FinanceLoans
Personal loan APRs on Feb. 5, 2026
By Glen Luke FlanaganFebruary 5, 2026
2 hours ago